Jim West posted several entries on his blog connected with the fact that today is the anniversary of the birth of Rudolf Bultmann. Although I appreciate his New Testament work, it is his theological work that I value most. Although many have misconceptions about his idea of “demythologization,” what it is, in essence, is an expression of two core convictions: that it is not possible and not necessary to adopt a first-century pre-scientific worldview in order to be a Christian, and that the message of the Christian Gospel – mythology and all – can be translated for people today.
If you have never read anything by him, but only heard people say things about him – or have never heard of him – then today is a good day to rectify that.
I recommend most of all his classic two-part essay in Kerygma and Myth on “The Mythological Element in the Message of the New Testament and the Problem of its Re-interpretation,” which you can read online for free at Religion Online. There are also other things by or about him on the same site.
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